A family Christmas without a tin of Cadbury Roses is almost as unthinkable as going without turkey, mince pies or crackers. But nothing, it seems, is sacred as the famous tins are to be ditched after 70 years with new "greener" square recycled cardboard boxes.
Cadbury say tins are more expensive to produce, but have assured customers that the boxes are a trial and will only be sold in Tesco stores this Christmas, although they may be rolled out elsewhere if customers take to the boxes. They insist the change is motivated by environmental issues. The chocolate maker claims replacing tins with 100% sustainably sourced cardboard will save 201 tonnes of steel a year and cut packaging by 45% per pack. The group said the move would help it to "meet shoppers' ethical concerns."
Chocolate makers have been criticised for the environmental impact of their product, with high levels of packaging and a hefty carbon footprint from transporting cocoa to the developed world.
Yet Cadbury may find a backlash from consumers keen to preserve the traditional components of their Christmas. Moreover, buying boxes rather than tins is not set to save you money because the £8.31 recommended retail price stays the same, although the boxes hold the same quantity of chocolates as the tins.
The move is part of wider efforts by companies to jump on the green bandwagon in the run-up to Christmas.
However, the Committee of Advertising Practice has recently tightened its code around "green marketing" after it emerged that many businesses were issuing exaggerated claims about the environmental credentials of their products. The watchdog has reminded companies that claims about specific environmental credentials should not be used without evidence to back them up.
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